Worth Waiting For
by BettyHall223
Summary: In one day, Sam's life is changed forever.  Will this change her relationship with Jack?  Season seven.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are not my property. No copyright infringement is intended._

Sam hurried down the corridor of Stargate Command. She stopped suddenly and put her hand against the wall to brace herself as a sharp pain ran through her pelvis.

'Oh, no, it's only been two weeks. This shouldn't be happening' she thought to herself as the pain slowly subsided. She pulled off her backpack and quickly knelt down on the floor to see if she had the necessary protection with her. Seeing that she did, she ran to the Gate room.

The blast doors opened as the three male members of the team turned to look at her and Jack smiled.

"Carter, glad you could join us."

"Sorry, sir."

Jack turned to look at General Hammond to let them know they were ready.

"Dial it up, sergeant."

The team stepped through the Gate and stopped to look around. Scattered here and there were several different kinds of trees and not too far off in the distance they could see old buildings.

Jack gripped his P-90. "Okay, kids, let's move, but be alert for anything that could jump out at us."

The team walked in silence, Jack and Sam side by side with Daniel and Teal'c following. The sun was beating down on them and the longer they walked, the hotter it became.

They came to the buildings and Teal'c glanced around as Daniel went up to the wall of one of the buildings and brushed away the dirt, discovering writings underneath.

Sam knelt down to take soil samples as Jack took a good look of the surrounding area.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack went to check on Daniel, he had gone around to the other side of the wall.

"Anything interesting?"

"Yes, but I need Teal'c back here. I think most of this is written in Goa'uld."

Teal'c came to stand beside him. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Right here, what does this say?" Daniel pointed as he wiped away more dirt.

Jack went back to wait with Sam. She was putting a label on one of the vials of soil.

He had just stopped beside her when she suddenly put her arm over her abdomen.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she said with a wince.

Jack put his hand on her arm. "Sam?"

"It's just . . ."

"Just what?"

"Cramps" she said with a grimace.

"Oh, okay." Jack realized what she meant. "Do you have something with you to take for the pain?"

She nodded her head and he let go of her arm. She took off her backpack and took two pills out of a bottle, then drank some water from her canteen to wash them down. She wiped the perspiration from her face. "I'll be fine."

"Why don't you go sit under those trees? It's pretty hot out here."

A few hours passed and it was just starting to get dark. Daniel asked Jack if they could spend the night because he wanted to do more translating of the language on the walls before heading home.

Jack glanced at Sam, sitting under a tree. She was writing in a notebook and would stop occasionally to fan herself with a folded piece of paper.

"Okay, we'll stay until tomorrow, but get it done at daybreak. None of us likes to be here in this heat."

"Thanks, Jack."

The air cooled as nighttime came and the team set up their tent and built a fire. So far, they had seen no signs of life on the planet.

After they had eaten, they sat around chatting for awhile. Teal'c told them he would prefer to stay outside for the night and he would keep watch.

Just before dawn, Sam shook Jack's shoulder.

"Jack."

He quickly set up, found his flashlight and turned it on.

Sam was kneeling with her arms across her abdomen as he noticed how pale she was.

"What's wrong?"

"Really bad pain" she whispered as she bit her lip.

"We need to get you back to the SGC."

Jack crawled over to Daniel and shook him awake.

"Daniel, get up. Sam's sick and we've got to get her home."

Daniel didn't ask questions. He grabbed his flashlight and hurriedly put on his boots.

Jack put on his boots, then helped Sam into hers.

While Jack was helping Sam, Daniel went outside to tell Teal'c they were leaving, then came back into the tent.

"What about our stuff, Jack?"

"Leave it. We'll come back later and get it. I don't think anyone will bother it since there doesn't seem to be anyone here."

The team quickly walked back the way they had come. Jack was on Sam's right, with his arm around her waist and his flashlight in his other hand. Daniel was on her left. Teal'c followed behind, keeping watch, as he swept his flashlight into the trees.

Sam began to sink to the ground and Jack eased her down slowly.

He put his hand to her cheek. "Sam . . . Sam. She's passed out. We've got to get her home now."

Teal'c handed Jack his flashlight and lifted Sam in his arms.

Jack was really worried. 'We should have gone home yesterday when she wasn't feeling well' he chided himself.

They were almost to the Gate so Daniel ran ahead to dial them home.

"Incoming traveler" Walter announced.

General Hammond came down the steps.

"Who is it?"

"SG-1's code, sir."

"Open the iris" the General ordered as he ran downstairs to meet the team. He watched as Teal'c came through the event horizon carrying Sam, with Jack and Daniel following.

"Something's wrong, sir" Jack said as he watched Teal'c take Sam to the infirmary.

"What happened?"

"She wasn't feeling well yesterday. She thought it was just cramps. You know, that time of the month."

Jack, Daniel and the General walked quickly to the infirmary.

A half hour passed as they waited for Janet to let them know what was happening.

"What's taking so long?" Jack asked no one in particular as he paced back and forth.

Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other, understanding on their faces. They had known for a long time that Sam and Jack loved each other. Teal'c had witnessed their confessions during the zatarc test and he had filled Daniel in when Daniel started to notice changes between them. Daniel and Teal'c noticed them staring at each other sometimes, the smiles and occasional touch between the two, that no one else would have noticed. There were times when the team was on a mission and Jack and Sam would end up with their sleeping bags close together with Jack's hand holding Sam's. Recently, Daniel had awakened one morning to find them lying in their sleeping bags facing each other as they looked into each other's eyes and talked quietly. Secretly, Teal'c and Daniel could not have been more pleased for their two friends.

Janet suddenly came through the door of the infirmary.

Jack stopped pacing. "How is she?"

"We're going to have to operate, sir. The ultrasound shows some kind of mass."

"Will she be okay?" Daniel asked.

"I hope so. I'll let you know as soon as we find out what we're dealing with. This could take awhile." She turned to go back inside.

Jack sat down in one of the chairs. Daniel stayed seated as Teal'c walked over to the infirmary door and stood in front of it, as if to guard his teammate.

Daniel and Teal'c knew that Jack would stay right where he was and they would not leave him to worry alone.

A few hours later, General Hammond returned to see that the team was still there. The General noticed the worried look on Jack's face. He knew of the shared feelings between his two favorite officers, although he had never discussed it with either one of them; he knew they would never jeopardize each other's career. But at the same time, he thought they were a perfect match and knew it might only be a matter of time before one, or both of them, left the SGC to follow their hearts so they could have a life together.

Janet came out of the infirmary and Teal'c stepped aside.

"How did it go?" Daniel asked.

"Not good."

Jack stood up and started to get a feeling of dread. "Janet?"

"A large cyst was wrapped around her ovaries and unfortunately we could not remove just the cyst. We had to remove both ovaries" she answered as she stared at the floor and tears came to her eyes.

Comprehension dawned on the men's faces as they realized that Sam would never be able to have children.

"Was it malignant?" the General asked.

"We're having it analyzed, sir."

Everyone turned to look at Jack as he sat down, put his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Flashbacks are in italics.**

Jack sat still for a few moments as everyone glanced at each other.

"What caused this?" Jack asked in an angry voice.

"We don't know, sir, but it happens sometimes" Janet answered.

"Well it wasn't supposed to happen to Sam. She's as healthy as a horse. She's hardly ever sick."

General Hammond put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "She probably won't be awake for awhile" he said as he looked to Janet for confirmation and she nodded her head. "Please, go get something to eat. You can come see her later."

"Permission to leave the base, sir?"

"Certainly, son."

Jack looked at Janet and stood up. "Please call me on my cell phone if she wakes up."

"Yes, sir."

Jack didn't want to be with anyone right now so he went to the surface, signed out and drove to a nearby park.

He pulled his truck into a parking space, turned off the motor and stared out at the park. His mind went back a few weeks ago when he and Sam had been here. He knew she had been working too much, so he had surprised her by packing a picnic lunch one Saturday morning and showed up at her house and invited her to go with him. Over the past few months, they had begun to talk more with each other, so now they looked forward to spending time together.

_It was a beautiful day. They found shade in a grove of trees, away from everyone else. They brought a blanket to sit on as they ate. After they had eaten, they sat facing each other and talked for a long time. He watched her as she spoke, thinking how beautiful she was and the easy way she laughed. Sam suddenly stopped mid-sentence and they stared at each other. Jack leaned over and kissed her. She returned the kiss and he wrapped his arms around her as he slowly laid her down on the blanket._

_When the kiss was over they looked into each other's eyes._

_"Do you know that I happen to be in love with you, Samantha?"_

_She smiled at him. "That's good, because I happen to be in love with you too."_

_He had not been planning to do today what he was about to do, but it felt so right that he didn't want to put if off any longer. So in that moment as they sat on the blanket on that beautiful Saturday afternoon here in the park, he simply asked Sam to be his wife._

_Tears came to her eyes as she put her arms around his neck and answered with a resounding "yes!"_

_They returned to her house, cuddled on the sofa and talked about how they could be together. He would not let her give up her career and even though she didn't want him to give up his either, it seemed to be the only way possible, although they didn't come to a definite decision. Having children had been one of the first things they talked about as they set together on that quiet evening._

Jack remembered that he had teased Sam about how many children he wanted.

_"I want five."_

_"Five!" Sam asked as her eyes grew wide._

_"Sure, how many do you want?"_

_"I think two would be good, Jack."_

_"We'll see" he said with a mischievous grin._

_She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss before he had left that night. Even though they were now engaged, they weren't going to break the regulations by sleeping together and certainly weren't about to risk getting court-martialed. They made a promise to each other that one day, in the not too distant future, they would be together._

_They had not told anyone of their engagement, not even Teal'c and Daniel; they wanted to have this time to themselves._

Jack was brought out of the memory as he noticed a woman walking in the park. She was holding the hand of a little boy about three years of age and was pushing a baby stroller with her other hand. Someone called her name and she stopped and turned around to look, as a man came running up behind her. The man said something to her, then gave her a quick kiss. He picked up the little boy and tossed him into the air as the little boy giggled. Jack watched as the woman leaned over the stroller and carefully picked up a baby.

Jack imagined the couple as he and Sam, enjoying the sunshine with their children.

He had thought for the longest time that he would never want another child after Charlie had died. Even getting married again had not entered his mind after he and Sara had divorced. There had been too much hurt between he and Sara and too much guilt where Charlie was concerned. Then he had met Sam and slowly, over the years, he realized what she had come to mean to him. They had started off as teammates, then became fast friends. That friendship had grown into something he thought he would never feel again for another woman, but she had worked her way into his heart. Now, he couldn't imagine his life without her and they had both looked forward to getting married and having a family.

He put his arms on the steering wheel and leaned his head on his arms as tears came to his eyes. He knew that they would never have the family that he and Sam had so desperately wanted, and he could not imagine how Sam was going to feel when she found out.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack returned to the base.

He came in the infirmary to see Daniel talking with Janet.

"She awake yet?"

"No, sir, but it shouldn't be much longer."

"May I see her?"

"Certainly, go on in. She's in the bed next to the wall."

Jack walked in and drew the curtain to the foot of the bed. He sat down in a chair beside Sam and slipped his hand under hers.

In a few minutes, Daniel peeped around the curtain to see Jack holding Sam's hand. He found a chair and sat down beside him.

"You okay?"

"No" he answered truthfully.

Sam turned her head slowly and opened her eyes.

"Hey" he said as he tried to smile.

"What happened?" she whispered as she tried to focus.

"Daniel, go get Janet." Jack thought it would be best if Sam heard the news from her.

Daniel and Janet came to stand beside the bed.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as she blinked a few times and stared at Janet.

"You've had surgery, Sam."

"What kind of surgery?"

Daniel wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the floor. Jack held her hand tighter but couldn't look at her.

"Would you please just tell me what's wrong?"

"You had a large cyst on your ovaries" Janet said.

"That's why you were in so much pain, back on the planet" Jack explained.

"We had to remove the cyst and along with it, both of your ovaries." Janet stuffed her hands in the pockets of her lab coat and waited for a reaction.

Tears came to Sam's eyes. "You mean, I . . . I can't have children?"

"No, honey, you can't" Janet whispered.

Sam lay back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling as a tear slid down her temple.

"Was the cyst malignant?"

Janet reached for her hand. "We don't know yet."

Jack squeezed Sam's other hand but she wouldn't look at any of them.

"Could I be alone please?"

"Sam, I want to stay with you?" Jack said.

"I want to be alone please."

Janet looked at Jack and nodded her head.

Jack let go of her hand. "Okay. I'll be back later."

Daniel and Jack walked to the door of the infirmary as they heard Sam start to sob. Janet quickly sat down on the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around her friend and just let her cry.

General Hammond met Daniel and Jack outside the infirmary.

"I'm putting SG-1 on stand down until Major Carter is better."

"Thank you, sir. Mind if I go home?"

"Go ahead, son."

Jack walked down the corridor as General Hammond turned to Daniel.

"I need to get in touch with Jacob." He paused for a moment. "You know, some days just scrape the bottom of the barrel. This is one of those days" the General said as he shook his head and walked slowly back to his office.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Jack drove home in a daze. He entered his house, went out on the deck and sat down.

He started to think about Charlie. He had missed so much of his young life when he was off in another country working on some top secret mission for the government. He had always regretted not spending more time with his son.

The night before the team had gone on this last mission, he had been thinking a lot about having kids with Sam. He could just imagine her being pregnant; holding a baby in her arms; watching her feed it in the middle of the night; seeing the happiness on her face as she watched their child take its first steps or say its first words. Sam would never know the joy of finding out that she would be a mother; the happy feeling of having a baby kick inside her or giving birth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone come around the side of the house.

"Hey, Jack."

"Daniel. Is Sam okay? Do I need to go back?"

"No. Janet gave her something to help her rest, so she isn't even aware we're not there." Daniel sat down beside him. "I wanted to be sure you're okay."

After a lengthy silence, Daniel turned to face his friend as he pushed up his glasses on his nose. "May I ask you a question?"

"I guess."

"I know we never talk about this, Jack, but I know about the zatarc test and I think your feelings for Sam, and her feelings for you, have gotten even stronger."

"Yes, they have."

"How strong?"

Jack wasn't sure he wanted to tell Daniel about the engagement but maybe it would help him understand a little better why he was upset. He and Sam had wanted to tell him and Teal'c their good news at the same time, when the time was right.

"Sam and I are engaged."

Daniel stared at him. "Well . . . when did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Oh Jack, I'm so sorry. I'm sure you two have discussed having children."

"Yes, we have." Jack paused for a moment then continued. "You know, for a short time I got to know what it's like to be a father. But Sam will never get to know what it's like to give birth to her own child and become a mother and she was so looking forward to it." Tears came to his eyes as he suddenly stood up, put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the banister.

Daniel stood to stand beside Jack and stared up at the sky.

Jack took a deep breath. "She would be such a good mom. I know how much she looked forward to being pregnant and all that other stuff that women look forward to when they're going to have a baby."

Daniel wasn't sure what to say as Jack continued.

"Just a few nights ago, Sam was here at the house and she called her niece in San Diego to wish her a happy birthday. When she got off the phone, she said she could hardly wait for us to be married so we could give her niece and nephew a cousin and make Jacob a grandfather again."

Daniel grinned. "Jacob would have loved that."

Jack ran his fingers over his eyes. "Jacob should be here."

"Just before I left to come check on you, General Hammond said he would get in touch with him."

"Good."

"Jack, I know this may be way too early to even think about, but you and Sam could always adopt."

Jack turned his head to look at him. "That might be a problem."

"How so?"

"No adoption agency is going to give us a baby because of my age. They would give it to a younger couple."

"You don't know that for sure. Age isn't the only thing they base their decision on."

"No, but it's a big part of it. Look, I just don't want to discuss this right now."

"Okay."

"I would appreciate it if you don't mention our engagement to anyone. Not even Teal'c. Sam and I just wanted to wait until the time was right. Because of the regulations, we're not sure how we're going to handle this yet, we don't want anybody to know we're already engaged. We can't risk getting court-martialed."

"I promise, Jack. You have my word."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack returned to the base and went to check on Sam. Janet told him she had just awakened. The head of the bed was raised and she was staring at the wall as he slowly approached her.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

Sam didn't answer as she stared at her hands.

Jack sat down beside her on the bed. She looked into his eyes as her eyes started to brim with tears. Jack wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest.

In a few minutes, Sam leaned back and wiped her face.

"You're going to be okay, Sam."

"Am I?" she whispered.

"Yes. We'll get through this. Together."

"But I can't have children, Jack."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does."

Sam happened to look over Jack's shoulder and Jack turned to see who it was.

"Hey, Sammie."

Jack stood up as he and Jacob shook hands.

Jacob sat down on the bed and hugged Sam as she cried.

Jack turned to leave so they could talk in private.

Jacob held his daughter for several minutes.

Sam leaned back to look at him. "I guess you heard."

"I was with Garshaw when we received a message from George. He and Janet were waiting in the Gate room when I came through. Janet told me what happened. I'm so sorry, honey."

"You know, other than Mom dying, I think this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I had so wanted to give you more grandchildren, Dad" she said as she wiped her nose with a tissue.

"I know. Life isn't fair sometimes, but you have me and great friends here at the SGC who support you and will help you get through this. And" Jacob said with a grin "a man who loves you, no matter what."

Sam's eyes grew big. "How do you know . . ."

Just then, General Hammond came in so they had to stop their conversation.

"Major Carter, how are you feeling?"

"A little better, sir."

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c came and stood beside the bed.

Janet joined the group. "We have the test results back and the cyst was not malignant, Sam."

"Thank God" Jack, Jacob and Daniel said together.

"When can I get up?"

"You can get up and walk around a little. If you feel up to it, you can go home in a few days. But you have to have someone with you at all times and I want you to rest and eat properly. No work, Sam."

"I can stay with her, Janet" Jacob offered.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Teal'c and Daniel went back to the planet to get everything they had left behind.

Everyone rallied around Sam for the next few days while she was in the infirmary, offering support in any way they could.

Daniel brought her laptop so she could check her e-mails.

Teal'c was always close by in case she needed anything. He could tell when she would start to get tired and he wouldn't let anyone disturb her when she needed to sleep.

Jack brought her meals which always included cake or blue Jell-o. He sat with her as she ate and they would talk. He wanted so much to hold her in his arms, hold her hand or give her a warm kiss. But knowing there were prying eyes and ears everywhere on the base, he had to watch his words and actions.

Sam had so looked forward to having children with the man that she had been in love with for so long. Jack had been so good to her since this had happened, but as she lay awake the night before she was to go home, she came to a decision; one that she would have to talk with Jack about very soon.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Jack volunteered to drive Sam and Jacob home.

He came into the infirmary the next morning to see Sam dressed and sitting on the bed, talking with Janet and Jacob.

Sam smiled at him but the smile didn't reach her eyes and she looked nervous.

They left the base and got into the truck. Sam stared out the window while Jack and Jacob talked.

When they arrived at her house, Jacob helped her out of the truck and they went inside.

"Think I'll go sit on your deck, Sam. Not often I get to enjoy relaxing here on Earth."

"I'll be out to join you in a minute, Dad."

She and Jack watched him close the door behind him.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, thanks."

Jack put his hand on her arm. "Is something wrong?"

Sam crossed her arms and looked down at the floor. "I think we need to talk, Jack, but not right now."

"What about?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Sam, what's going on?"

"Not right now, please. I'll call you tomorrow."

Jack hesitated a moment.

"Okay." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

Sam backed away from him.

Jack stared at her for a few moments, turned and walked out of the house.

He got into his truck, wondering why she wouldn't tell him what was wrong. Did she just need some space to adjust to what had happened? Did she not love him? Did she not want to marry him after all?

He wandered around his house the rest of the day thinking about her. He picked up the phone a few times to call her but stopped himself.

He got into bed that night and tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling. They had been so happy these past few weeks. Sure, they still had to figure out how they were going to be together but the more Jack thought about it now as he lay in bed, he knew the answer. If he could just get everything straightened out with Sam, he would talk to her about his decision.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

The next morning, Jack was on his deck drinking a cup of coffee when his cell phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi, Jack."

"Hey, Sam."

"Dad borrowed my car to go a few places, so I was wondering if you could come by?"

"I'll be right there."

Jack drove as fast as he could to her house and rang the doorbell.

She answered the door looking pale and he could tell she had been crying as he followed her into the living room.

"Please, sit down."

Jack did as she asked and Sam sat beside him as she clasped her hands together in her lap.

"I, uh, I don't know how to say this, Jack. I . . . I think we should call off the engagement."

Jack felt like he had been punched in the stomach. "Why?"

"I'm just not sure this is the right thing for you. I know how much you want children and I just think you should find someone who can give them to you. I can't do that now" she said as she tried to choke back the tears.

Jack started to reach for her but she stood up, crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

"I just don't think getting married is a good idea."

"Sam, it doesn't matter. I love you."

"No, you need to find someone else."

"I don't want anyone else. I want you."

"I think you should go, Jack. Please."

He stood up. "So, it doesn't matter that we love each other? You just want to throw away everything that both of us have waited for all these years? My loving you isn't based on whether or not you can have children, Sam."

"But you won't be happy, Jack, not in the long run."

"I will be happy. I'm happy now." He put his hands on her arms and tried to get her to look at him but she stared at his chest. His heart was beating so fast he could hardly breathe. "Please don't do this."

Sam put her hands up and Jack let go.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

Jack stepped forward and encircled her in his arms as he kissed her on the forehead. "I love you." He let go, walked to the door and opened it. He turned to look at her and they stared at each other.

Sam could see the hurt on his face as he closed the door behind him.

She sat down and buried her face in her hands as she began to sob and she curled up on the sofa.

She lay there for a quite awhile thinking about how much she loved Jack, but she thought this decision was for his own good.

Sam heard the door open and she looked up to see her Dad standing there with two bags of groceries in his arms.

"What's going on?" he asked as he set the groceries down in the kitchen.

Jacob sat down beside her.

"Honey, tell me. Are you okay? Do I need to take you to see Janet?"

Sam shook her head and tried to compose herself as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Jack was here, Dad. I asked him to come over so I could talk with him. A few weeks ago, Jack asked me to marry him."

"He did?"

She nodded her head.

"And you said . . ."

"Yes. I said yes."

"Sam, that's great."

"No, it isn't. I just told Jack we should break the engagement."

Jacob frowned. "I don't understand."

"I can't have children and Jack was so looking forward to having a family. I can't give him children." Sam started to cry as Jacob put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Honey, Jack loves you. Whether or not you can have children is not going to change how he feels about you."

"I don't want him to go through the rest of his life regretting that he married me and regretting that he didn't get to be a dad again."

Jacob shook his head. "Sam, look at me."

She raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"Why must you make this so hard? Do you really think Jack is going to stop loving you because you can't have children? Honey, I've watched Jack love you for a long time. From the moment I saw you two together in Washington, the first time I met Jack, I knew you would end up together. I've watched you two interact over the years. You're right for each other, you're so good for each other. I'm sure he tried to tell you he loves you and having kids doesn't matter, didn't he?"

"Yes" she whispered.

"Do you truly love Jack?"

"I'm crazy about him, Dad. Sure, he can be impatient and sarcastic but he's also kind and thoughtful and he makes me laugh like nobody else ever could. I love spending time with him and he's been so sweet to me since this happened."

"Then don't let go of the best thing to ever happen to you. Can you really see yourself living without him?"

Tears started to run down her cheeks. "No."

"No, you can't. Be honest with yourself. This is one time you need to think with your heart more than your head. If Jack really didn't want to marry you, do you think he would have been so kind and attentive to you since the surgery? No, he wouldn't. He would have tried to put distance between you. Do his actions sound like someone who doesn't love you? You're both going to be miserable if you don't work this out."

Sam slowly stood up. "I need to think about this, Dad."

Jacob sighed and rubbed his forehead as he watched her walk down the hall to her bedroom and close the door.

Sam slowly lowered herself to the bed, turned on her side and drew her knees up as she clutched her stomach. She was so sore from the surgery and remembering why she had to have it, she started to cry again. She could not remember another time in her whole life when she had cried so much.

She grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes as she stared at the wall and thought about Jack. She thought letting him go was the best thing to do but maybe Dad was right. She had loved Jack for so long and the few weeks they had been engaged, she had never been so happy. She woke up with a smile on her face every morning and couldn't wait to see him, although they still had to act like nothing was going on between them when they were at the base.

Thinking back on her life, she had had boyfriends and had even been engaged once. But for all the men she had been interested in or had been interested in her, none of them compared to Jack. She loved everything about him, the good and the bad. She knew she was attracted to him the day they had met but her career was important to her and she thought she would get over her crush. But that crush had turned into friendship and the friendship had grown into love.

She turned over on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Could she really live without him? Had she really thought through what she had done by breaking the engagement? She closed her eyes and remembered the devastated look on Jack's face as he stared at her before he left.

The more she thought it through, she realized she had made the decision too quickly and Dad was right. If Jack had wanted to break the engagement after he found out she couldn't have children, he wouldn't have been so sweet to her.

She turned over on her side and cried herself to sleep.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

After Jack left Sam's house, he drove around for awhile, letting everything sink in that had happened with Sam.

He went back to his house and called General Hammond to let him know he was going to his cabin. He packed some things to take with him and he was soon on his way.

As he drove, he went over and over in his mind what Sam had said. He didn't understand. Did she really think he would stop loving her just because she couldn't have children? He knew they had both wanted to start a family right away after they were married, but this didn't change how he felt about her. The more he thought about what Sam had said, the more confused he became so he put in a CD to listen to and take his mind off the situation for awhile.

He arrived at the cabin after dark.

He tried to sleep but thoughts of Sam kept him awake. He tossed and turned and replayed the scene at her place. He didn't know what else he could do to make her understand that he loved her.

The next morning, he found some projects to do around the cabin to stay busy and keep his mind off of Sam as much as possible.

That evening he sat on the front porch, listening to a thunderstorm approaching in the distance. Soon the lightening was right over the cabin, making the nighttime sky light up like daytime.

It started to rain as he leaned over and put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair. He missed Sam terribly and he choked back the tears that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

He set up straight and watched the rain as he took a deep breath.

His thoughts drifted back to the day they had met. Her beauty had startled him when she had walked into the briefing room, introduced herself and saluted him.

The longer they worked together, the more he admired and respected her, not just as a soldier but as a female. She could be just as tough as the men when she needed to be. Then her feminine side would show through and gone was the soldier, replaced by a very sweet and kind woman.

He had never known anyone like her.

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Even though it was breaking his heart, he loved her enough to let her go if that was what she really wanted.

He stood up and went into the cabin, changed clothes and went to bed.

He lay there tossing and turning and tried not to think about how lonely he would be without her.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Flashbacks are in italics.**

It had now been two days since Sam had talked with Jack and Jacob was getting worried about her. She wasn't eating like she should and she had admitted she wasn't sleeping well.

It was time for her check-up so he drove her to the base.

While Sam was with Janet, Jacob stopped by to see George and knocked on his door.

"Come."

"Hi, George."

"Jacob, how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you know where Jack is?"

"He's at his cabin."

"Do you have his phone number?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind giving it to me? I need to talk with him about something."

"Sure." George looked up the number, wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "I have a briefing with SG-5 in a few minutes. You can call him from here if you'd like."

"Thanks, George."

General Hammond left his office and closed the door behind him.

Jacob sat down at George's desk and dialed Jack's number.

Jack sat in a chair on his dock with his ankles crossed and his fishing rod in his hands. He cast the line into the water, but his mind was on Sam. He was wishing she was there with him when his cell phone rang.

"Hello."

"Jack it's Jacob."

Jack lay down the fishing rod on the dock.

"Hey."

"How are you?"

"Okay I guess."

Jacob could hear the sadness in his voice. "Sam told me about the engagement."

"Oh, did she? Did she also tell you that she called it off?"

"Yes, but I think she's starting to regret that decision."

Jack sat up straighter in his chair. "How do you know?"

"After you left her house, I came back to find her crying and she told me what happened. As you know, Sam thinks too much sometimes. She loves you, Jack, and she wants you to be happy. She thought she was doing you a favor by breaking the engagement. I told her otherwise."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. I told her that it wouldn't matter to you if she can have kids or not."

"That's true but she has to realize that for herself. I don't know what else I can do to get through to her. I told her I love her and I've tried to show her I love her but that doesn't seem to be enough."

"She's just upset right now. Ever since she was a little girl, her dream was to not only go into space, she also wanted to have kids. She's been moping around the house for two days and I know it's not only because of the surgery but also because she misses you so much. Just give her time and don't give up on her, she'll come around."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I do. Jack, I know patience is not one of your virtues but please hang in there, she'll come to her senses."

"Okay, if you say so."

"I say so."

"You mean you really wouldn't mind having me for a son-in-law?"

Jacob grinned. "You asking Sam to marry you was no big surprise to me, Jack. I've been expecting it for a long time. I've always thought you and Sam would be great together if you ever woke up to the fact that there is more to life than just your careers."

A smile came to Jack's face. "Thanks, Jacob."

"You're welcome. I'll see you when you get back."

Sam sat on a bed in the infirmary and talked with Teal'c while Janet finished with another patient.

"Where's Daniel?" she asked.

"Daniel Jackson is on a mission with SG-11. They should return today."

"Have you seen the Colonel?" Sam hesitantly asked.

"General Hammond informed me that he has gone to his cabin."

"I see."

Janet gave Sam a thorough examination.

"Sam, you're healing okay but you've lost weight. You have to start eating and getting more rest.

"I will. I promise."

"I'll make sure she does" Jacob said as he came to stand beside her.

Jacob and Sam got into the car to go home and Sam stared out the window, lost in thought, as Jacob drove.

They arrived back at the house and he asked her to sit down and he sat down beside her.

"Honey, you're miserable without Jack. Why can't you admit it?"

"You're right, I am. I've thought about nothing else." She looked down at her hands then glanced up at Jacob. "It was a mistake to break the engagement, but what if he won't forgive me?"

"He'll forgive you but you need to talk to him."

Daniel dropped by to see Sam that evening.

Jacob went out on the deck so the two friends could talk.

Daniel gave Sam a hug and noticed how tired she looked as they sat down together.

"Teal'c told me that Jack has gone to his cabin. I'm surprised he isn't here with you."

Sam didn't answer as she looked down at her hands.

"Sam, I know about the engagement."

She quickly turned her head and looked at him.

"Jack was upset after your surgery and I went to check on him. He told me that he had proposed to you. Did you two have a fight? Is that why he isn't here?"

Tears came to her eyes and Daniel put his hand on hers.

"I broke the engagement, Daniel."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I can't have children."

"That doesn't matter to Jack. When you found out you couldn't have children, it didn't make Jack stop loving you, Sam. When I talked with him, he was concerned about you because he knew how much you wanted to have your own child but this certainly doesn't make him love you any less."

"Dad tried to tell me that."

"You two need to talk this out."

"I'm so afraid he won't forgive me for hurting him. You know how stubborn he can be."

"He'll forgive you, Sam. He loves you too much to let this go. Why don't you call him?"

Sam looked at her watch. "It's getting late. I'll call him tomorrow."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack was up early to replace some shingles on the roof of his cabin. He got a ladder from the storage shed and propped it against the wall and made two trips up the ladder to take all the supplies he would need. He turned and looked out over the pond as the reflection of the sunshine glistened in the water.

He sat down on the roof and thought about Sam. He missed the sound of her voice; her giggle when she laughed at his jokes; her sense of humor; her technobabble. He thought about her ease with everything she did; her kind and considerate ways with everyone she came in contact with and her unflappable patience with his impatience.

He remembered that just after they had gotten engaged and a few days before they had gone on their last mission when Sam had gotten sick, they had a team night at her house.

_He followed her home, Daniel and Teal'c would be along soon. She had gotten out of her car and he his truck, and they chatted as they came up the sidewalk in front of her house. They both stopped when they heard what sounded like a cat. Sam walked over to the flower bed in front of her house and knelt down to find a scared kitten, looking up at her with bewildered eyes. She picked it up and gently rubbed her hand across its back to comfort it as it cried even louder and it started to tremble. Sam set the kitten into the crook of her arm and began to softly talk to it as she petted it._

_They went into the house and Sam sat down and Jack sat across from her. He watched as she put the kitten on her lap and she continued to talk to it until it finally stopped crying. It was bright orange with white on the tip of its tail. When Sam looked closer, she saw a white heart-shaped area on its chest and just a spot of white between its eyes._

_The kitten sat still on her lap._

_He pulled out his cell phone and ordered pizza. Daniel and Teal'c arrived and they saw the kitten. As they chatted, the three men watched as Sam kept petting it and it slowly closed its eyes and went to sleep._

_Sam held the kitten until the pizza arrived. When it was time to eat, she gently picked up the kitten and set it on the sofa. As they ate, she would glance at it to be sure it was okay. After they had finished eating, Sam got a saucer and poured some milk into it and set it on the floor and set the kitten down in front of it. It stuck its front paws into the saucer, so it could reach the milk. As they watched, the kitten lapped up all the milk until it was completely gone._

_"What are you going to do with it?" Daniel asked._

_Sam picked up the kitten and dried off its paws with a towel. "I don't know."_

_The next day, he came by to see how she and the kitten were doing. She opened the door, holding the kitten and she looked like she was about to cry._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"I've decided to take her to the pet adoption place, just a few miles from here. I can't keep her."_

_"Do you want to?"_

_"Yes, but I never know how long I'm going to be gone. She's just a baby and I can't leave her here by herself all alone so I don't have any choice."_

_He drove his truck as Sam sat beside him and held the kitten. They took it inside and Sam carefully put it into the hands of an older gentleman. He saw the tears in Sam's eyes, so he promised her that he would do his best to find it a good home._

Remembering how much Sam loved cats and the loving way she had taken care of the kitten, he knew what a good mother she would be to a child.

He let out a sigh as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew he loved Sam more than he could say but if she really wanted to break the engagement, then he would accept it, but he was hoping that Jacob was right about her changing her mind.

He heard his cell phone ring but hesitated for a moment. He dug it out of his pocket and opened it.

"Hello."

"Jack . . . please don't hang up."

He took a deep breath.

"Jack, I'm sorry. I . . . I made a mistake. I don't want to break the engagement. I know I hurt you."

"Yes, you did."

"I made a hasty decision."

"Really?" he said sarcastically.

"I wasn't thinking clearly and Dad made me realize what I had done. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, please forgive me. I do want to marry you, Jack. I just didn't want you to be disappointed when you deserve to be a dad again."

He heard her start to cry.

"You mean more to me than being a dad again, Sam. I don't know how to make that any more clear to you."

"I know that now" she said as she brushed tears from her eyes. "Would you be willing to talk to me when you come home?" she asked as she bit her lip.

"You're not going to change your mind again between now and the time I get back?"

"No, I promise."

"Okay, but when I get there we're going to have a long talk."

"I want to, Jack."

"Look, I'm replacing some shingles on the roof of the cabin and I need to get this finished. I'll stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get back. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

Jack put his cell phone in his pocket as he took a deep breath and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God for Jacob" he mumbled to himself.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I have received several personal messages advising me that they could not open this story when the fifth chapter was uploaded. Apparently, there was a bug with FF, but it appears to have been corrected. If anyone has this problem again, you can find all my stories by first going to SEARCH, then FIND AUTHOR and type in "bettyhall" but leave off the 223. That should bring up BettyHall223. I would like to thank everyone who has kept up with this story so far. I very much appreciate ALL the reviews. There will be two more chapters after this one. Thanks for reading.**_

The next morning, Jack was up before sunrise. He locked the door of the cabin and got into his truck and stopped only to grab a quick breakfast and to fill the truck with gas.

As he drove, he thought about Sam's phone call. He could understand, in a way, what she had been trying to do. She loved him, wanted him to be happy and thought she was doing the right thing by breaking the engagement. But now, he was so glad that Jacob had been there to talk some sense into her.

After the long drive, he arrived back in the Springs and stopped in front of Sam's house. She was sitting on the front steps. He got out of the truck and she slowly stood up. Tears came to her eyes as they walked toward each other. Before Jack could say anything, Sam put her arms around his neck. He slid his arms around her waist to hug her. After a long hug, they looked at each other and then he kissed her.

Jacob was watching them as he leaned against the porch post.

They came up the walk to go in the house.

Just then, a taxi pulled up and stopped.

"There's my ride." Jacob went back into the house and picked up a suitcase and came back out.

"Going somewhere, Jacob?" Jack asked as he and Sam came up the steps.

"Visiting Mark. I'll be back in a few days. You two have lots to discuss." He gave Sam a hug.

Jacob put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Take care of her while I'm gone."

"I'll do my best, sir."

They watched the taxi drive away, then went into the house.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away. I was so stupid" she said as she looked down at the floor.

"No, you weren't stupid, you were trying to do what you thought was best."

Jack put his hands on her shoulders.

"I want you to listen to me, Samantha." He put his finger under her chin and raised her head so she had to look at him.

"Whether you can have children or not doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you, Sam, I still want you to be my wife. Yes, it would have been great if we could have had kids, but what happened to you wasn't your fault, and why it happened we'll never know. It doesn't make me love you any less. I still want to marry you just as much now as I did the day I proposed. Will you get that through your head?"

"I know how much you were looking forward to being a father again."

"Answer me truthfully. Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to marry me?"

"More than anything."

"Then I don't see a problem. Sam, we'll find a way to have a child. We'll talk to Thor, maybe he could clone one for us. We'll adopt. Something. But don't let what happened to you tear us apart. We belong together and we're good for each other. Besides, who else is going to laugh at my jokes and put up with me the way you do" he said with a grin as he tried to get her to smile.

"I don't know why you put up with me." She started to cry and he hugged her to him. "I just don't want you to be disappointed."

"I'm not disappointed now and I won't be."

"I want you to be very sure, that's all."

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Jack took her hand and they sat down on the sofa.

"No more talk about breaking the engagement. Okay?"

Sam nodded her head.

"Look, I did a lot of thinking while I was gone. I'm retiring."

"But Jack . . ." Sam started to protest.

"No, listen. You have a great career, one that you love and I will not let you give that up. I've been a field commander for a long time and the Air Force has been great for me. But at this stage in my life, I'm ready for a change, and this is the best change that I could ever imagine. I'm getting too old to keep running all over the universe. I want to sleep in a comfortable bed instead of on another planet in a sleeping bag on a pile of rocks that keep me awake. Besides, my knees are shot and Doc Frasier keeps telling me I'm facing surgery again somewhere down the road, if I keep going like I have been for the past few years. I never thought I'd meet someone again after Sara, but I met you and you've been the best thing to happen to me. I want to settle down and have a normal life. While you're out protecting the planet, I'll take care of our kids."

Sam's eyes filled with tears once more.

"Yes, we will have kids. I don't know how right now but we will."

Sam hugged him to her. "Oh, Jack."

They held each other for a few silent moments.

"I can't seem to stop crying. That's all I've done ever since the surgery."

Jack kissed her on the forehead. "Sam, you found out you can never have children. It's normal to cry as much as you have the past few days for what you've been through."

Sam laid her head on Jack's shoulder. "You're so sweet, Jack. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here for me."

She let go and they looked at each other.

"You're welcome. Let's talk about something happy. Like . . . when are we getting married?"

Sam wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Well, I guess you have to resign first, talk to General Hammond before we can set a date."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the General's door.

"Come."

"Hello, sir."

"Jack. How was Minnesota?"

"Very nice, sir."

"Have a seat."

Jack sat down and handed him an envelope. "Sir, this is for you."

George opened the envelope and read it quickly as he raised his eyebrows.

"And just why are you giving me this now?"

"Because I've asked Sam to be my wife, sir, and since the Air Force won't let us have a relationship while I'm her CO, this is the only way we can be together since I won't let Sam give up her career."

George grinned. "I'm not surprised, Jack. I knew this day was coming sooner or later."

The two men talked for a few minutes.

"I'll have to start thinking about who will replace you."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Certainly."

"I think Colonel Reynolds would be a good choice. He has worked with Sam, Teal'c and Daniel before and they get along really well. He's a very level-headed officer and Sam really respects him."

"I'll take that into consideration. You'll be greatly missed around here, Jack, but I'm very happy for you and Major Carter. She's always been like a daughter to me. I'm just sorry for what happened to her though."

"Me too, but if there is any way we can have a child, we'll do it."

The two men stood and George held out his hand to shake Jack's.

"Congratulations, Jack."

"Thank you, sir."

"So, when's the wedding?"

"We don't know. Haven't crossed that bridge yet, but you'll be one of the first to know when we set the date."

"I better be. I've waited a long time for this to happen."

Jack officially retired from the Air Force. General Hammond gave Jack a retirement party at his house where Jack and Sam announced their engagement.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Sam sat at the end of the sofa with Jack's head on her lap as he stretched out his long legs. She entwined her fingers with Jack's as his hand lay on his chest. With her other hand, she played with his hair. She had always loved his hair, even when it was sticking up in all directions. As it had slowly turned gray over the years they had known each other, she loved his hair even more and thought it made him look even more handsome and distinguished.

Sam was lost in thought when Jack set up and took her hands in his.

"Sam, while Jacob is here, let's get married."

A smile came to her face. "Okay."

"We can get the license tomorrow."

"Where will we have the wedding?"

"One of my poker buddies is a judge. He could perform the ceremony in his chambers. I'll call and ask him."

"That would work."

Just then, Jacob came through the door.

"Hey you two."

"Hi, Dad. How was dinner with General Hammond?"

"Great. It's been ages since I've seen his daughter and grandkids."

Sam smiled. "We just made a decision about the wedding."

"Oh?"

"Yes. We're getting the license tomorrow. We want to get married before you leave."

"That's great." Jacob grinned and then winked at Sam. "Although I don't think any man is good enough for you, Sam, I guess you'll do, Jack."

"Gee, thanks, Dad" Jack said sarcastically.

Sam giggled.

The next day, Jack rang Sam's doorbell. She answered and Jack came into the house and gave her a kiss. Jack saw Jacob on the deck talking on a cell phone.

"Dad's on the phone with Mark. I invited him and his wife, Susan, to the wedding and they want to come."

"Good. I'll finally get to meet your brother."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Four days later, Jack and Sam stood in the judge's chambers of Jack's friend to be married. Jacob, General Hammond, Janet, Daniel, Teal'c, Cassie, Mark and Susan and their children watched.

Jack and Sam were pronounced husband and wife and the wedding celebration continued at The Broadmoor.

Pictures were taken and there were tears and laughter as everyone took turns standing and reminiscing about Jack and Sam.

Sam was talking with Susan when Sam's niece came to sit on her lap.

"I miss you, Aunt Sam. Why don't you ever come see us?" five year old Kasey asked.

Sam gave her a hug. "I've been really busy, honey, but we will come visit, I promise."

Jack grinned at Kasey. "Yes, we will."

Kasey got off Sam's lap and stood in front of Jack.

"You're my new uncle?" Kasey asked as she looked up at Jack with eyes that were as blue as Sam's.

"That's right."

"Are you going to have a baby so I can have a cousin?"

Jack and Sam looked at each other and Jack saw the smile leave Sam's face.

"Well, we hope to give you a cousin, Kasey. We just don't know when" Jack answered.

"Okay" she said as she went back to her chair to finish her piece of cake.

Sam excused herself and Susan followed her into the restroom.

"Sam, I'm sorry."

Sam shook her head. "It's okay. Jack and I want children, we just don't know how that will happen though now."

After the party, Daniel and Teal'c drove Jack and Sam to the airport to leave for their honeymoon.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Sam had left it up to Jack as to where they would go for the honeymoon. He had teased her that they would be spending it at the cabin. Instead, he surprised her with a trip to England. They had been discussing their genealogy not long ago, and Sam happened to mention that she would like to go to England where her ancestors were from. While they were there, they would also go on to Ireland where Jack's ancestors had originated.

After a long flight, they arrived at their hotel.

They got off the elevator to go to their room and Jack unlocked the door and went in. He turned around to see Sam still standing in the hallway.

Sam grinned at him. "Aren't you forgetting something, Jack?"

It dawned on him what she meant. He grinned back at her as he walked toward her.

Instead of picking her up in his arms, he suddenly threw her over his shoulder. Sam giggled as he carried her into the room and Sam caught the door and slammed it shut as they entered. Jack set her on her feet.

Sam laughed and put her arms around his neck. "You're goofy, Jack O'Neill."

He grinned at her with that lopsided grin that she loved so much. "But you love me."

Sam kissed him. "I most certainly do."

They began to slowly undress each other and Jack picked up Sam and put her on the bed.

After all these years of waiting, they were finally together.

Three weeks later they returned home.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Sam was not to report back to work for three more days so she and Jack got busy unpacking boxes they had brought over from her house to Jack's.

Sam stood in the bedroom putting things in the dresser drawers when Jack stuck his head around the corner.

"I'm going out. Be back in about ten minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"It's a surprise."

Sam was in the living room rearranging pictures on the mantle to make room for their wedding picture, when she heard Jack open the door.

"Sam, sit down on the sofa and close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it please."

Sam did as he asked and she heard him close the door.

Jack set a box down in front of her. "Open your eyes."

Sam opened the box and looked in as her eyes grew wide.

"Jack!"

Sam picked up a cat, the very one that she had found in her flower bed and had given up for adoption.

"I don't understand. How . . . I mean . . . how . . .

Jack laughed as Sam stumbled over her words.

"After I saw how upset you were when you had to give her up, I went back there that afternoon after I dropped you off at your house. I explained to the man you gave the kitten to, that we were getting married and I wanted to surprise you with the cat after the wedding. So, you remember meeting Mrs. Russell, my neighbor?"

Sam nodded her head.

"Well, she likes cats as much as you do, she has two. I asked her to keep her until I could come get it today. I've been going by her house to give her money for cat food and to see how it's doing. Mrs. Russell had gotten so attached to her, she was sorry to see her go. She's a wedding present to you from me."

Sam stood and held the cat in one arm and put her other arm around Jack and hugged him as tears came to her eyes. "You are the sweetest man in the whole world, Jack O'Neill."

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at her with a grin.

"Well, I just like to make you happy and I knew the cat would make you happy" he said with a shrug.

Sam hugged him once more.

Sam talked to her cat. "You've grown so much since I saw you last."

The cat purred as Sam held it to her chest.

"What are you going to name her?"

"I don't know."

"Schrodinger Junior?"

Sam smiled. "No, Schrodinger was a male so that won't work. I'll think of something."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Sam sat talking to Teal'c and Daniel in Daniel's office as she flipped through one of the books about ancient Egypt that Daniel had on his desk. She was telling them about Jack bringing home the cat when she suddenly stopped.

"That's it."

Daniel looked up to see what she was talking about. "What's it?"

"The name for my cat. Jamila. It means 'beauty' in Egyptian.

Just then General Hammond came in with Colonel Reynolds following him.

Sam stood up.

"At ease, Major. Glad to find all of you here. As you know, you need a new team leader, so I've selected Colonel Reynolds."

The Colonel looked at each team member. "I'm looking forward to leading the team and I hope we can work well together."

Daniel grinned. "Don't think that will be a problem."

"I concur" Teal'c added.

"Great choice, sir" Sam said as she sat back down.

"We will meet at 0900 tomorrow morning to discuss your first mission" General Hammond said as he left the room.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack was sitting on the deck when Sam came out to join him.

"Hi honey."

Jack smiled at her. "Hey."

"Guess what."

Jack looked at her and raised his eyebrow.

"Colonel Reynolds will be SG-1's new leader."

"That's great."

They got up and went in the kitchen and Sam picked up her cat and looked right into her eyes.

"I know what I'm going to name you."

"What?" Jack asked.

"Jamila. I found it in one of Daniel's books and thought it was pretty. It means 'beauty' in Egyptian.

Jack nodded his head. "I like it."

"Hello Jamila" Sam said as she petted her.

Jack grinned. "You're gonna spoil that cat."

"Probably."

"I forgot to tell you I had her spayed."

"Great" Sam whispered as tears came to her eyes.

Jack touched her arm. "Sam?"

"I can't have a baby and she can't have kittens" Sam said as she started to cry.

"Oh, honey." Jack took the cat from her and set it on the floor, then wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" she said in a muffled voice against Jack's chest.

"It's okay. What do you think about us checking into the possibility of adopting a baby?"

A smile came to her face. "You really mean it, Jack?"

"Why wait?"

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack and Sam loved being married.

Sam came home one evening to find Jack sitting at the kitchen table with papers spread out in front of him.

"What's this?" Sam asked as she set down her purse and laptop.

"Forms that we have to fill out to adopt."

"Where did you get these?"

"I called two adoption agencies here in the Springs and they e-mailed the forms so I printed them off."

Sam looked at the forms. "Looks like they'll need a lot of information about us."

"Yeah, I'm sure they will be investigating us quite thoroughly."

Sam pulled out a chair and sat down beside Jack. Jamila jumped on her lap and lay down as Sam petted her.

Jack turned to face her. "Do you think . . ."

"What?"

"I'm sure it will come out somewhere what happened to Charlie. I just hope that won't be a problem."

"It was investigated by the police and they found no fault with you or Sara. It was an accident" she said as she squeezed his hand.

Sam flipped through the forms. "Looks like we'll need a lot of references."

Jack leaned back in his chair and stretched. "We have several close friends who will give us excellent references."

"We won't be able to be really truthful with them about my job. If they knew that I fight aliens, there would be no way they would let us adopt when I have to travel to other planets and get shot at quite often."

"Yeah, that's true."

They sat reading the forms in silence until Jack spoke up.

"You know, adoption takes quite awhile."

"I know" she said with a sigh.

Sam moved her chair closer to Jack's and laid her head on his shoulder. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Just this morning" he said with a smile as he hugged her to him.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

They filled out the forms and they asked several of their friends for references.

Jack dropped off the forms at the two agencies. One of them told him that someone would be in touch with them soon for a personal interview.

Sam and Jack met with a woman from one of the adoption agencies. After meeting with them for over two hours, the lady left their house with all the information she thought she would need.

Jack rubbed his eyes. "Talk about being put through the wringer."

Sam stood and stretched. "They just have to be very thorough and be sure that we'd be good parents."

Three weeks passed.

Saturday morning, Jack mowed the lawn and came back in the house to find Sam crying while sitting at the kitchen table. He sat down beside her.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Sam handed him a letter that had arrived in the mail.

It was from the adoption agency that had interviewed them. Jack quickly read the letter.

"What do they mean we don't meet the criteria for placement?" he said as he raised his voice.

"I don't know" Sam answered as she wiped her eyes.

"I've a good mind to call them up and ask them."

"It won't help any, Jack. It could be a lot of things, like my job. It's true that I don't always know how long I'm going to be gone from home when I'm deployed and they don't know that when I say 'deployed' that it's to other planets."

"It could also be my age" Jack said as he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter what the problem is. They've already made up their minds. Getting mad at them isn't going to help."

"We'll just have to try some other places. We haven't heard anything from the other agency."

"They haven't even called us for an interview." Sam stood and picked up Jamila.

"I guess you'll just have to be my only baby" Sam said as she hugged her cat and tried not to cry. She stood there for a few moments petting Jamila, then she turned to look at Jack.

"Can we go do something? I don't want to stay here all day feeling depressed."

"You betcha."

They got in the truck, drove to Boulder and spent the day at an outdoor festival. They returned home that evening and as they came through the door, Jamila jumped off a chair to welcome them home. Sam scooped her up in her arms.

"Did you miss us?"

Jamila began to purr and knead her paws on Sam's arm.

It had been good to get out of the house and get their minds off the situation, but Jack could see that while they had had a good time, Sam was still a little upset.

Over the next several months, they tried other agencies, to no avail.

They also checked into having someone act as a surrogate mother but that hadn't worked out either.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Jack and Sam had now been married over a year. They had not given up on adopting, but the more time that passed, the more unlikely it was that they could adopt.

They tried to look at the positive things in their lives instead of dwelling on becoming parents. They would go for weeks without bringing up the subject of adoption.

Jack knew that Sam was taking the situation harder than he was though. He had had his chance at being a father, but he was beginning to feel that Sam would never get to be a mother.

Jack awoke one night to find that Sam wasn't beside him. He got up to look for her and found her sitting on the deck, crying, and he sat down beside her.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

"Do you remember Captain Garrison on SG-11?"

"Yes."

"She came to the base today to show everyone her new baby girl. I was so envious, Jack."

He pulled her to him as she lay her head on his shoulder and he hugged her.

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better."

"You know, I had never met a man that I wanted to have kids with until I met you. Then we get engaged and a few weeks later I lose the chance to ever get pregnant. I always thought I'd get the chance to have kids some day" she said as she sniffed. "I know I should be thankful for everything else that's good in my life and I am. I have you and Dad and Mark and great friends and a job that I love. But I had always looked forward to seeing what it would feel like to be pregnant and give birth and hold my own baby in my arms and watch my own child grow up."

Jack kissed her on the forehead. "We'll just have to keep searching, honey, that's all I know to do."

She wiped the tears from her face. "I need to get back to bed. I have an early mission tomorrow."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

A MALP had been sent through earlier to get a look at the planet that SG-1 would be going to, designated as P3X223. From the pictures the MALP was showing, they could make out old buildings and there were people milling around.

General Hammond advised them to be cautious.

The team waited for the Gate to be dialed and they stepped through the event horizon.

Looking at their surroundings and the clothing the people wore, Colonel Reynolds, Sam and Daniel felt they had stepped back to the time of the Civil War. A man came riding by in a wagon being pulled by a horse.

People stopped to stare at the strangers who had come to their planet.

Colonel Reynolds gripped his P-90. "Be friendly, but be ready for anything."

"Hello" Daniel said and smiled at one of the women and she returned the smile.

"Hello."

"You can understand me?"

"Yes."

"What is the name of your planet? Daniel asked.

"It is called Paltar."

Daniel went through the routine of introducing everyone and more people gathered around to listen as he explained that they were explorers from Earth.

The people looked at each other as one of the men stepped forward. "We have never heard of this place you call Earth."

"It is very far away" Daniel explained.

"You are the first ones we have seen to journey through the stone circle. We never knew what it was."

Sam spoke up. "It's a transportation device. We can go to many places."

"We would like to get to know you and your people" Daniel said.

"If you like, we can converse during our midday meal. Please, join us" he said as he motioned with his hand to follow them.

The team looked at each other.

"Okay. Couldn't hurt, I guess. Just don't eat anything you don't recognize" Colonel Reynolds cautioned.

Daniel walked beside the man that had done all the talking. The man reached out to hold the hand of the woman beside him.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Nigel. This is my wife, Enid."

Enid smiled at Daniel but didn't speak.

They sat down at a long table. Nigel stood at the end of the table as everyone became silent and he asked everyone to join hands as he lifted his arms, looked up at the sky and asked God to bless the food.

As the team talked with Nigel, they also took the opportunity to observe the people. They seemed curious but friendly to the team as they set different kinds of food in front of them.

Bread and several different vegetables were served. The food was simple but tasty.

Sam noticed children of all ages and a few of the women were pregnant.

"What kind of work do you do?" Colonel Reynolds asked.

"We are farmers and miners. Our women only help outside the home during planting season. Our summers are short but our winters are long. We must grow our food in the days that are warm so that when the harsh winter comes, we are ready."

"What kind of mining?" Sam asked.

"Coal. It is used to heat our homes. We have found another kind of ore that we do not know what it is so we have no use for it."

The team glanced at each other.

Nigel continued. "Several of our villagers are carpenters. They build our homes and do repairs."

"Is everyone paid wages for their work?" Daniel asked.

"Our wages are small but we have a bartering system and neighbor helps neighbor."

"Sir, I have not noticed any weapons" Colonel Reynolds stated.

"Our laws forbid anyone to carry a weapon except when hunting. We hunt rabbit and deer."

"So you have no crime?"

"Very little. Occasionally, a child will steal something but we leave it up to the parents to punish a child. We have strict laws that govern our village. When two adults disagree, we choose ten people to hear both sides of the disagreement and then everyone votes on what they think is best. Majority rules."

"Would you mind if we took a look around?" Colonel Reynolds asked.

"If you wish. Will you be spending the night?"

"I guess we will" the Colonel answered.

Nigel escorted the team as they walked outside the village. They came to one of the areas where coal was being mined.

"Here, let me show you" Nigel said as he picked up a shovel and dug up some of the soil. Teal'c knelt down and scooped some of it into his hand and he looked up at Colonel Reynolds.

"Naquadah."

Sam knelt down beside Teal'c to have a look for herself.

"He's right, sir, it is."

"You have seen this before?" Nigel asked.

"Yes. Naquadah is very valuable to us" Colonel Reynolds said. "We might be interested in getting some of this from you. We could exchange the naquadah for more modern ways to help your people."

Nigel smiled. "We must hear more. I will gather the elders together and we will discuss this possibility of exchange. If you are to spend the night, there is a vacant house that you are welcome to stay in."

Colonel Reynolds turned to Sam. "Major, you and Teal'c go back and check in with General Hammond. Let him know what we've found here and that we'll be spending the night."

"Yes sir."

After Teal'c and Sam returned, Colonel Reynolds and Daniel spent the rest of the day talking with Nigel and meeting other members of the village.

Teal'c went exploring by himself.

Enid invited Sam to spend the afternoon with her to meet some of the women of the village.

As they walked, the two women would stop and chat with Enid's neighbors.

"We must stop here" Enid said as she knocked on the door of a small house.

A pretty woman answered the door.

"Sam, this is my friend Astrid" Enid said as she introduced them. Astrid smiled at her and they went inside.

"I was just changing the boy."

"How are they?" Enid asked Astrid as she looked over at a bed where another baby lay.

"Very well. This one has just finished nursing."

Astrid put the baby in Enid's arms and she started to rock the baby back and forth. "I must explain. Two of our villagers, Eli and Ann, died recently when their house caught fire. It happened during the night, we do not know how it started. Since everyone was asleep, by the time the closest neighbors knew anything was going on, there was nothing they could do. Ann had given birth to twins, just the day before. Eli managed to get the babies out and handed them to a neighbor. He went back inside to get Ann. The burning roof fell on them before they could get out safely."

"That's horrible. So the children are just a few days old?"

"Seven days. Astrid gave birth just two days before the twins were born so she has kept them here with her to nurse not only her own child, but the twins as well. Some of the other women who are new mothers have been taking turns to come here during the day to help care for and nurse the twins."

Sam slowly walked over to the other sleeping infant.

"You may hold her if you would like."

Sam picked up the sleeping infant and looked at the face of a beautiful little girl. She had light brown hair, porcelain skin and long eyelashes. Her tiny fingers were wrapped around her thumbs as she held her hands under her chin.

"What's her name?"

"As far as we know, Eli and Ann had not chosen names. We are not sure who will keep them. All of us have children of our own so no one has willingly offered to take them."

Sam sat down on the edge of the bed as she stared at the baby.

"Are you married?" Enid asked.

"Yes."

"Do you have children?"

"No. I can't have children."

"I'm sorry."

"Jack, my husband, and I have been trying to adopt but we haven't had any luck."

Sam rocked the baby back and forth as they talked.

When it was time for them to go, Sam laid the baby back on the bed and her arms suddenly felt very empty.

The team ate with the villagers that evening. Later, Nigel led them to a vacant house and the team spread out their sleeping bags.

Sam tossed and turned but could not get the babies out of her mind. The next morning she went to find Enid.

Sam saw her talking with one of the men from the village and she smiled at Sam.

"Good day, Sam."

"Good day. May I speak with you?"

"Certainly."

Enid said goodbye to the man. They went into her house and sat down together at the kitchen table.

"I need to know something."

"All right."

"As I've already explained, my husband I have been trying to adopt but have not been able to. I gave a lot of thought last night to the twins. What are the chances that your people might let my husband and I take them? I know I need to talk this over with my husband first, but I would like to get some idea of what they might say, before we go home."

"I guess you would have to meet with the elders of our village and let them find out how much you want the children, what kind of parents we think you would be, and how you would rear the children, especially since they would be raised on a world that is far from ours."

"I understand."

Enid put her hand on Sam's and smiled at her. "I can tell you have a kind heart, Sam. Let me see what I can do" she said as she squeezed her hand.

The team gathered for breakfast and Sam told the men about the twins and her conversation with Enid.

"Are you sure about this, Sam?" Daniel asked.

"Well, I've naturally got to talk with Jack about it first. I think he would love it, especially after he sees the babies."

"Not to be so negative here, Major, but the elders of the village might not be so willing to turn over the children to complete strangers, especially since they would be raised on another planet" Colonel Reynolds added.

Sam looked down at the table. "I know. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but Jack and I have wanted a baby for so long and since I can't have one, I think this might work out perfectly for us and the twins. We could give them a good home."

"I agree Major Carter" Teal'c added. "You and O'Neill deserve this opportunity."

Sam smiled at Teal'c.

Just then, Nigel and Enid came around the corner of the building.

Enid smiled at Sam. "I explained to Nigel your interest in the children."

"The elders will meet with you and your husband" Nigel said.

Colonel Reynolds looked at Sam. "Major, if you would like to go home and talk with Jack, you have my permission. We'll stay here and discuss the naquadah."

Sam's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, sir."

General Hammond stood at the bottom of the ramp as Sam came through the Gate.

"Major, is something wrong?"

"No sir, but I do need to talk with you."

They went upstairs to his office and Sam explained what was going on.

"Are you sure, Sam?" General Hammond asked.

"Yes sir. This may be mine and Jack's only chance to become parents. The children need a home. All of the couples on the planet have children of their own so no one has volunteered to take them. By our standards, they would be considered poor people, sir. They have very little but what they do have, they share with each other. They remind me of what people were like during the Civil War. Their only transportation is wagons and horses. We could offer them more modern ways of providing for themselves in exchange for the naquadah."

"Very well, Major. Run home and talk this over with Jack. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Sam entered the house.

"Jack" she called as she looked in the kitchen, then the bedrooms. She wandered outside on the deck to see him digging up a dead bush in the yard.

"Jack."

Jack turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Sam, you're back already?"

"Just for a little while. We need to talk."

Jack gave her a kiss. "What's going on?"

Sam took him by the hand and they sat down in the chairs on the deck.

"You have to come back to the planet with me" she said with a smile.

"Why?"

Sam proceeded to tell him about the people on the planet, what had happened to Eli and Ann and the twins.

"They're both so beautiful, Jack, and they need a home. I wanted to see what you thought."

Jack hesitated for a moment.

Sam squeezed his hand. "Do you see a problem with this?"

"Not exactly, honey, I think it'd be great. I just don't want you to get your hopes up too high if they decide they don't want us to have them."

"I know, Jack. But we won't know until we try."

"Okay, let's do it."

Before they left to return to the planet, Jack took Jamila to stay with Mrs. Russell while they were away.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

General Hammond stood with Jack and Sam in the Gate room.

George shook Jack's hand. "Good luck."

"Thank you, sir."

The General watched as Jack and Sam disappeared through the event horizon.

They came down the steps as Jack looked around.

"Very different from what we're used to, isn't it?"

"Yes, very" Sam said as she grasped his hand.

They walked through the village on the way to Nigel and Enid's house. Some of the people waved and spoke to Sam.

Enid was outside getting water from a well. She saw them coming toward her and smiled.

"Hello, Sam."

"Enid, this is my husband, Jack."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance."

"Thanks. Nice to meet you too."

"I'm sure you're anxious to see the twins."

"Yes."

"Nigel has arranged to have both of you meet with the elders but two of them are at another village a little way from here and will not return for three days. We would like to take this time to get to know you better. Right now though, you can go see the babies. We will be having our midday meal in about an hour. Please come join us. Astrid will be coming so you can bring the twins with you."

Astrid was outside hanging wet clothes on a clothesline and Sam introduced her to Jack.

"Enid told me of your wish to have the twins. They are asleep but you can go on in. I will be in shortly."

They went into the house to find Astrid's two older children playing a game at a small table in the corner and her baby was in its crib.

They walked quietly to the bed. The little boy was on his side and the girl on her back.

Jack started to smile as he bent over and picked up the little girl. Sam picked up the boy.

"You're right, Sam, they're beautiful."

As Sam held the boy, he slowly opened his eyes. "He has brown eyes." She started to talk to the baby and he stared at her for a few minutes, then started to whimper just as Astrid came in the door. About that time the baby girl woke up in Jack's arms.

"They are probably hungry. It is time to nurse them."

Jack and Sam went outside to sit on the steps while Astrid fed the babies. In a little while she called them back inside.

"It is time for our meal as well." She placed the baby girl in Jack's arms, then the boy in Sam's. "Come. We will meet with the others."

They saw Colonel Reynolds, Daniel and Teal'c talking with Nigel and several other men as they approached them.

Colonel Reynolds peeked into the blankets to get a look at the babies. Daniel and Teal'c did also.

"They're so cute" Daniel said with a grin.

Sam smiled. "Yes, they are."

Everyone sat down at the large table as Nigel asked for everyone to hold hands as he prayed.

Several people that Sam had met, came by to see the babies and to wish them well as word had spread throughout the village of their interest in the twins.

Teal'c sat quietly beside Sam. "Major Carter, I have finished my meal. Perhaps you would like for me to hold the child while you finish eating."

Sam looked at Teal'c with a grin. "Why Teal'c, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were just itching to hold him."

"It has been many years since Rya'c was so young but I always enjoyed holding him."

Sam placed the baby in Teal'c's huge arms just as the baby awoke. The baby stared at him for several moments, then closed his eyes.

"Hey, Teal'c" Daniel said as Teal'c looked up from staring at the baby, and Daniel snapped his picture.

"What is that?" Nigel asked as he came to stand beside Daniel.

"It's called a camera. It takes a picture. Here, let me take yours and Enid's. Just stand right there and smile." They did as Daniel asked as Daniel snapped the picture.

"Now when I get these developed I'll show it to you."

Nigel and Enid looked confused.

Soon the meal was over and Enid and Astrid took the twins.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Over the next few days, Jack and Sam talked with the people from the village and everyone watched as they interacted with the twins. The more Jack and Sam were with them, the more attached to them they became.

The next morning, the two elders returned from the nearby village.

That afternoon, Nigel told Sam and Jack to come with him to meet with the elders.

They went into what looked like a large meeting hall. There were six men and six women sitting around a large table. Nigel introduced Jack and Sam to each of them, then asked them to explain to them why they wanted to be parents to the twins.

Sam spoke up.

"Before we were married, I had to have an operation which took away my chance to have children. We've tried to adopt but that hasn't worked out. Jack and I love children and we've been very disappointed that we have yet to become parents."

One of the women spoke up.

"Jack, why do you wish to be a father to these children?"

"As Sam said, we can't have children of our own. Even before we were married, we knew we wanted to have a child or more than one. We tried several adoption agencies but it takes months and sometimes years before a couple can get a child. I had a son from a previous marriage but he died several years ago. I loved being a father and would like very much to have the chance to be a father again."

Someone asked "how do Earth parents educate the children?"

Sam spoke up. "Where we come from we have schools where we would send the children to learn from teachers who teach different subjects. It takes several years to get through school and during that time, the child would choose a vocation."

One of the women spoke up. "How do we know the children would be loved and cared for?"

Jack answered. "You only have our word. We would see that they are loved, disciplined, fed, clothed and educated.

"Do the men that are here with you know you well?" someone else asked.

"Yes they do" Jack answered.

"Perhaps we should speak with them to get an idea of your character before we make this decision."

Nigel stood. "You may wait outside."

In a few minutes Daniel entered the room.

"Please Daniel, sit down" Nigel said.

Daniel sat down in the chair that Jack had occupied.

"How well do you know Jack and Sam?"

"I've known them both for many years and I know them very well."

"Could you tell us about their character?"

"Jack is probably the most honest person I've ever met. He is fair and loyal, a true friend. I was around when his son died and I saw how upsetting it was for him. Jack loves children. Everywhere we go, children just seem to flock to him. Sam is intelligent, sweet and kind. She has so desperately wanted a baby ever since she and Jack were married. You could not find better parents for these twins. They would be very well cared for and very much loved."

"Thank you, Daniel" Nigel said. "You may go."

Teal'c came in next.

"O'Neill is a very trustworthy person. His bond is his word. He loves children and will go beyond the call of duty to help a child. He would be an excellent father. Samantha is very kind and thoughtful. She has great patience, which is a good trait for a mother."

"Thank you, Teal'c."

Next came Colonel Reynolds and the questions were asked of him.

"I have worked with Jack for many years. I know he loves children and I think he would be a very good father. Major Carter, I mean Sam, is a very sweet and caring woman. I urge you to give them this chance to be parents. You could not find another couple who would take better care of these children."

"Thank you" Nigel said. "Colonel Reynolds, would you send Jack and Sam back in please?"

Jack and Sam entered once more and sat down.

A man stood up who had remained silent throughout the question and answer session.

"My name is Thomas. I am the oldest of the elders of our village. From what your friends have told us, you would both be exceptional parents."

Jack and Sam looked at each other and smiled.

"We have never had a situation before as this one" Thomas continued. "For the sake of the children, this will have to be a unanimous vote. All of the elders will have to agree on whether or not you are to take the children. You may go, and we will remain to discuss these events. We will have an answer for you soon."

"Thank you" Jack and Sam said together as they stood to leave.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Jack noticed how quiet and worried Sam looked that night after meeting with the elders. He stood up and held out his hand to her.

"Come on, let's take a walk." Sam took his hand.

They slowly walked in silence down the road that led outside the village and the moon was shining brightly.

"I have a good feeling about this, Sam."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "We've been disappointed so many times."

Jack let go of her hand and stopped walking. He held out his arms and Sam wrapped her arms around his waist.

"So, what are we going to name these two little people?"

Sam smiled. "What would you like to name them?"

"Homer and Marge" Jack said with a grin.

"No."

"Bart and Lisa."

"No." Sam giggled and she slapped Jack on his arm.

"Hey, you asked."

"We are not naming them after The Simpsons."

"Oh, Sam. You spoil all my fun" Jack said as he stuck out his lower lip.

Sam laughed even harder. "Pout all you want, but we are not naming them after your favorite cartoon characters."

"Okay. What do you suggest?"

"I'm not sure. Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning the team was up early. They gathered in the village with Nigel and Enid and the others for breakfast.

Jack and Colonel Reynolds sat talking after they ate.

"How did the negotiations go about getting the naquadah?" Jack asked.

"Very well. We told them that in exchange for the naquadah, we can work with them about getting electricity, telephones, better ways to plant and irrigate their crops and better ways to heat their homes."

"Great. I guess we'll be seeing these folks quite often" Jack said with a grin.

"I hope so. We really don't know until we start checking, exactly how much naquadah they do have, but I like these people, Jack. They're friendly, honest and hard working and everyone seems to get along really well."

Just then, Nigel came to get Jack and Sam to meet with the elders.

"Hope it's good news" Daniel said as he stood up and gave Sam a hug.

Sam smiled at him. "Thanks, Daniel."

Nigel, Sam and Jack walked into the meeting hall once again. The elders were all standing around the large table.

Nigel remained standing as he spoke. "Please, everyone be seated."

He turned to face Jack and Sam.

"The elders met for quite some time after we talked with you to decide the fate of the children. I will let Thomas tell you of our decision."

Nigel sat down and Thomas stood.

"These last several days have been most interesting. No one had ever come through the stone circle and now we find out that there is a civilization that is willing to help us better ourselves in exchange for an ore that we have no use for. I believe our association with your people will prove to be most beneficial."

"We agree" Jack said.

Thomas paused. "Now, about the children."

Jack reached for Sam's hand.

"After hearing all the good things said about you from your friends, and having seen for ourselves how caring both of you are with them, and after having spoken with Enid and Astrid about your conduct when you were with the children, we believe it would be best for their wellbeing if we do allow you to take these children as your own."

Tears came to Sam's eyes as Jack hugged her.

Thomas held up his hand and raised his voice. "With certain conditions."

Jack and Sam turned their attention back to Thomas.

"This decision by the elders was not made lightly. These children will grow up in a place that we know nothing about. Out of respect for their parents, Eli and Ann, we need to know that these children will be loved and well cared for. Therefore, every six months for the first five years of their lives, you will return here with the children so we may see for ourselves if this decision was the correct one. If you do not return on schedule or if we see evidence that these children are not happy and healthy, we will cease all trade and will sever all contact with your people. Is this agreeable with you?"

Jack and Sam looked at each other then looked back at Thomas. "Yes, it is" they said together.

"I speak for all the elders when I say that we wish you well. May God bless you as you undertake this responsibility. Tonight, the villagers will join together for a celebration in your honor. Now, I'm sure you are most eager to see the children. You may go."

Jack stood up. "Sir, may I say something?"

"Certainly" Thomas said as he sat down.

"Sam and I just want to thank all of you for giving us this opportunity to take these children as our own. We promise that we will do our best to be good parents."

All of the elders smiled and slightly nodded their heads.

Jack and Sam came outside. The team was waiting and they saw the smiles on their faces.

"They're ours!" Sam said as she hugged Daniel.

"This is most wonderful news" Teal'c said as he gave Jack a hug.

"Congratulations Jack and Major" Colonel Reynolds said he slapped Jack on the back.

Jack smiled. "The elders and the villagers are having a big shindig tonight in our honor so we all need to stick around for that."

Sam grabbed Jack's hand. "Come on, Jack, I want to see our babies."

The team smiled as they watched Jack and Sam hurry down the dirt road.

They knocked on Astrid's door and she opened it, holding her youngest.

"What did they say?"

"They said yes" Sam said as she hugged her.

"This is most wonderful news. Congratulations. The twins are awake."

They hurried inside. Sam picked up the girl and Jack picked up the boy.

Tears came to Sam's eyes. "I can hardly believe it, Jack, they're really ours."

That night, everyone gathered in the village to celebrate. Jack and Sam sat at the table with the twins, as people came by to speak with them. After everyone had eaten, Nigel stood and asked for everyone's attention.

"Jack and Sam, we wish you well with the children. I know that Enid, Astrid and the other women who have helped care for them will be sad to see them go. But it also makes us happy to know that they have found a home. We will be seeing you every six months so this isn't goodbye."

The next morning the team stood at the Gate as Teal'c dialed Earth.

Sam turned to Enid and gave her a hug.

"Thank you for everything you did for us" Sam said.

"You are most welcome. We'll see you soon."

She then said goodbye to Astrid and hugged her.

"I will miss these little ones" she said as tears pooled in her eyes "but I know that you will give them all the love they deserve."

"Thank you" Sam said as she hugged her again.

The villagers waved goodbye as they stepped through the Gate.

They arrived back at the SGC to see General Hammond standing at the bottom of the ramp. When he saw Jack and Sam carrying two little bundles, a big smile came to his face.

"Welcome back SG-1 and Jack."

"Thank you, sir" Colonel Reynolds said.

General Hammond smiled. "I see everything went well."

"Yes, sir." Sam pulled back the blanket so the General could see the baby. "This one is a girl."

"May I hold her?" the General asked.

"Certainly, sir." Sam gently placed the baby in his arms.

"She's beautiful. What have you named them?"

"We haven't had time to discuss names yet" Jack answered.

The General dismissed everyone in the Gate room and people crowded around to see the twins.

Janet examined the children and found them to be completely healthy.

General Hammond gave Sam two weeks off.

Teal'c and the new parents got into Jack's truck. Teal'c held the boy and Sam held the girl as Jack drove. Daniel followed behind in his car.

They drove to a large baby store to buy two cribs and other things they would need.

When they arrived home, Daniel and Teal'c got busy putting the cribs together as Jack and Sam put formula into bottles to feed the babies.

Soon the cribs were ready. They pushed them together in the middle of the bedroom with enough room to walk around them. As soon as the twins had eaten, they put them down for a nap.

Jack and Sam sat down at the kitchen table with Daniel and Teal'c.

"Time to pick the names" Jack said.

"I have an idea" Sam said as she sipped a Diet Coke.

"And that is?" Jack asked.

"I think we should name them after their parents, or one of their names should be."

"Sounds like a good idea" Daniel said.

"Okay. May I suggest something?" Jack asked.

"Not Marge and Homer again" Sam said with a laugh.

Jack grinned. "No, I gave up on that. I've always liked Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth" Sam repeated. "And Ann could be her middle name, after her mother. We could call her Lizzie."

"Okay, Lizzie it is" Jack said.

Daniel smiled. "Okay, now the boy."

"I know what I'd like to name him, Jack."

Jack raised his eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Jonathan for you and Eli for the middle name, after his father. We can call him Jon."

"I like it" Jack said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Jonathan Eli O'Neill and Elizabeth Ann O'Neill" Daniel repeated.

The first night at their new home, the twins were awake at different times. Sam and Jack had very little sleep.

"I guess we better get used to it, Sam. It will be this way for quite awhile."

"I don't mind losing sleep, I'm just so happy to have them."

Jack put Lizzie on his shoulder to burp her. "I was just thinking about something."

"What's that?"

"We need birth certificates."

"Oh, I haven't thought about that. We'll have to ask Janet next time we see her, maybe she'll know what to do."

"Or, George could check with someone in Washington who has clearance."

"Maybe Major Davis could check into it for us" Sam said.

"That's a thought."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Two days later, General Hammond asked Jack and Sam to bring the babies and drop by the base at 1400. He wouldn't give them any details of why he needed to see them.

When they arrived and signed in, they were told that General Hammond had asked for them to meet him in the commissary.

Just as they walked in the door, everyone yelled "surprise!" They looked around to see that the commissary had been decorated for a baby shower.

Jack and Sam just stood there until Daniel led them to a table where there were lots of gifts.

The twins were in their carriers, sound asleep.

"I don't know what to say" Sam said as everyone became quiet and tears came to her eyes.

Jack put his arm around Sam. "This is so nice of you to do this for us."

"Have you decided on the names yet?" General Hammond asked.

Jack looked down at his sleeping son. "Yes. Everyone, this is Jon."

"And this is Lizzie" Sam said just as Lizzie opened her eyes and started to cry. Sam picked her up and held her against her shoulder and gently rubbed her back.

General Hammond took Lizzie from Sam while she opened a gift. Janet picked up Jon when he started to whimper and gave him a bottle.

They took turns opening the many gifts. After they finished, Jack stood to thank everyone when General Hammond put his hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him.

"You're not finished yet, son" he said with a grin. "Bring 'em in" he ordered and the doors of the commissary were opened by two airmen. They came in carrying a rocking chair and behind them were two more airmen carrying another rocking chair.

"Oh my" Sam said as she put her hands over her mouth.

George smiled. "Those are from me."

"Oh, General, that's so nice of you, sir" Sam said as she gave him a hug.

"George, I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Jack."

Several people volunteered to carry everything to Jack's truck. With the two rocking chairs and everything else, there was not enough room. So they loaded up Siler's truck and he followed them home. He and Jack unloaded the chairs, put them in the nursery and they piled all the other gifts in the living room for Jack and Sam to sort through later.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

A few weeks passed and Jack and Sam loved being parents. Jack stayed home with the twins when Sam was working but she was finding it harder and harder to go off-world.

She and Jack were sitting on the deck one evening after having just put the twins to bed.

"Jack, I've made a decision."

"Oh?"

"I've decided to talk with General Hammond about just working in my lab instead of going off-world any more. If something should happen to me, I don't want the twins to grow up without a mother, they've lost one already. As you know, I lost my mom at a young age and I don't want our kids to go through that."

Jack smiled. "Good. I was wondering how long it was going to take before you would do this."

"You thought I would all along?"

"I hoped you would."

"Why didn't you mention it?"

"Because, honey, I know how much you love your job and giving up Gate travel had to be your decision. I'm glad that you'll be here on Earth permanently."

Just then, the doorbell ring so Sam got up to answer it.

"Dad!" Sam said as she put her arms around Jacob.

"Hey, Sammie."

"We tried to get a message to you right after we brought the babies home."

"It took awhile for the Tok'ra to get a message to me."

Jack came into the house and the two men shook hands, then went to the nursery.

Jacob looked at the children as a smile came to his face.

"Dad, meet your grandchildren."

"What are their names?"

"The girl is Elizabeth Ann. Jack likes the name Elizabeth and her mother's name was Ann, so we put them together, we call her Lizzie. We named the boy after Jack. His name is Jonathan Eli. Eli was his father's name. We call him Jon."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

That night, Jack and Sam were getting ready for bed when Jamila wandered in and looked up at Sam. She picked her up to pet her.

"Have I been neglecting you, Jamila?"

Jamila looked at her as if to say 'yes.'

Jack was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and he came to the door and watched as Sam talked to her cat.

"I'm so sorry. It's just that I have these two tiny people to take care of and they take up all my time."

Jamila turned her head and stared at Sam.

"That's not good enough? Well, I'll try to do better. Will you forgive me?"

Jamila began to purr as Sam set her down on the foot of the bed. "You can sleep on our bed tonight if you wish."

It was if Jamila understood her as she curled up and closed her eyes.

Jack grinned at Sam. "I knew you'd spoil that cat."

A few weeks after Sam had talked with Jack about not going off-world any more, she met with General Hammond and told him her reasons why she wanted just to work in her lab. Although it meant finding a replacement for her, he understood that for her own safety and the wellbeing of her family, she wished to leave SG-1 and he gave her his approval and support.

General Hammond met with Colonel Reynolds and although he was sorry to lose Sam from the team, he understood. Sam was replaced by a member of SG-10 who had requested a transfer.

Daniel and Teal'c would miss Sam but understood that her priorities had changed when she became a mother.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

Mining on the planet for the naquadah was going well.

The President and Joint Chiefs had recognized the value of building good relationships with the villagers, so people with top level clearance had been sent to the planet to help with getting electricity, indoor plumbing, telephones and other modern conveniences to the village. It would take time to finish all the projects, but everyone recognized that, except for the Asgard, this was the most important relationship that Earth had had with any other planet.

With Thor's help and with the use of one of the Asgard ships, the SGC transported all kinds of equipment to the workers.

Working side by side, everyone from both worlds had begun to build strong friendships.

Janet and a medical team had been to the planet several times to teach the villagers about vaccinations and medicines and had taught first aid to several of them. Janet had helped deliver a baby that had been born breech and the mother's life had been in danger. If Janet had not been there, the mother probably would have died. To show their thanks, the woman and her husband named their baby girl after Janet.

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

The twins were now almost six months old. It was time for Jack and Sam to return to the planet, as they had promised. They knew they would probably be gone for a few days, so Jack had taken Jamila to their neighbor, Mrs. Russell, so she could keep her while they were away.

Sam dressed Lizzie in a pink dress. Jack dressed Jon in a blue and white baseball uniform with a little baseball cap.

Sam and Jack stood at the bottom of the ramp with the babies in their carriers, two over-stuffed diaper bags and a large suitcase.

"I feel like we have to take the whole house with us every time we go anywhere with the twins" Jack said with a grin.

George chuckled. "But you love every minute of it, don't you, Jack?"

"I certainly do" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

George watched as Jack and Sam stepped through the Gate with the twins.

When they came through, several of the villagers recognized them and came running.

As they stood there talking, Sam heard someone call her name. She turned to see Enid and Astrid running towards them.

Astrid smiled and hugged Sam. "It is so good to see you again."

Sam returned the hug. "You too."

Enid reached for Jon and Astrid held out her arms to hold Lizzie.

"Oh my, how the little ones have grown" Enid said as she hugged Jon.

Everyone remarked at how happy and healthy the twins were.

Jack felt someone slap him on the back and turned around to see who it was.

"Welcome back, my friend" Nigel said as the two men shook hands.

"It's good to be back" Sam said as Nigel gave her a hug.

They all walked into the village. Everyone inquired as to the names of the twins and thought it was so kind of Jack and Sam to name them after Eli and Ann.

The teams that were there from Earth helping the villagers, joined them for lunch.

Nigel arranged to have Jack and Sam meet with the elders that afternoon and they had left the twins with Astrid and Enid.

Thomas stood as everyone sat down.

"I must say, it does not seem that six months have already passed since you were given the children. I think everyone would agree with me that they look healthy and well cared for. Jack and Sam, you are to be commended for giving these children a good home. The elders made a wise decision."

**§§§§§§§§§§§§§§**

A few days later, Jack and Sam were back on Earth.

Sam was giving Lizzie a bottle while she rocked her and Jack had just put Jon in his crib.

"It finally happened, Jack."

"What's that?"

"We finally got what we wanted. We loved each other for a long time and were willing to wait until the time was right to be married. Now we have two precious children. It was all worth waiting for."

Jack smiled. "Yes it was, Sam. Yes it was."

THE END


End file.
